Happy Halloween!

If you are not one who fancy crazy halloween parties or goes around the neighbourhood trick-or- treating, you can celebrate Halloween by going to the cinemas. Start with the Henry Selick's Coraline follow by a sneak preview of Saw VI and end the evening with Rob Zombie's Halloween 2 or the outrageous Lesbian Vampire Killers. For the home entertainment side, Friday the 13th DVD is a good choice. How about Horsemen DVD? Plenty of choices so let down your hair tonight and enjoy!

InnoForm Media expands its foray into ARTE Documentary:

InnoForm Media is proud to present the well received European documentary, ARTE on DVD. The series comprises of many documentaries released by the European culture channel that produces quality programs, especially in the areas of culture and the arts. Apart from the more conventional one-hour discovery, there are also productions, somewhat like the uncut feature-length films which can run from 80 minutes onwards. The first of the series to be launched includes: Iran- The Hundred-Year War, Cracking the Colour Code and Stranded The Andes Plane Crash Survivors. Each DVD from the ARTE documentary series will be sold from $29.90 onwards and available at all major video stores island wide.

Super Agents Kim Ha Neul & Kang Ji Hwan

Watch out for our interview with the lovely Kim Ha Neul and the dashing Kang Ji Hwan of "My Girlfriend Is An Agent" in the coming days.

Spreading the Word on Film Preservation: Celebrating UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage

In Asia’s tropical climate and environment, films in both print and digital video formats can disintegrate rapidly when not kept properly. Even films in the digital format are not spared given that the longevity of the digital format is still under scrutiny. The Archive hopes to generate the realisation in filmmakers on how urgent it is to archive their works early as they become aware of the fragility of their creative works physical shelf life when stored improperly. In line with UNESCO’s message on World Day for Audiovisual Heritage to save a fading heritage, these part informational and part tongue-in-cheek videos will be released online periodically. Two videos have already been uploaded onto the Archive's YouTube channel as well as on our Facebook group. To build the Asian Film Archive Collection, filmmakers, collectors, companies and the public are invited to contribute. If there are films you feel are of importance and needs proper preservation, please contact Asian Film Archive at info@asianfilmarchive.org

MICHAEL JACKSON’S THIS IS IT UPDATES

When Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT makes its worldwide premiere from Los Angeles on Tuesday, October 27, viewers around the world will have a chance to join in during the live webcast of the event, which will take place at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles, beginning at 4:30 p.m. PDT. (Singapore time 9:30am, October 28). The live webcast can be seen on http://www.thisisit-movie.com/ and http://www.crackle.com/. Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT to be released on October 29th, will offer Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place beginning this past summer in London’s O2 Arena.

My Sister’s Keeper Number 1

My Sister’s Keeper is the #1 film in Singapore, raking in S$249,238 for its opening weekend (22- 25 October). This is the best opening weekend in Singapore for director Nick Casavettes as compared to his previous releases: John Q, The Notebook and Alpha Dog. My Sister's Keeper is based on the best-selling book by Jodi Picoult, currently the #2 Fiction title on the local best-seller list. My Sister's Keeper is rated PG and is showing in theatres.

It's A Wrap! - Tokyo International Film Festival 2009

A follow-up to our earlier post - Our resident reviewer, Stefan Shih went on a self-funded trip to TIFF 2009 to cover the prestigious film fest. Check out his personal movie blog: anutshellreview for all the detailed coverages such as press con, reviews and video clips. Mr Shih reporting live from Tokyo.

What to do on Halloween

If you are tired of clubs and crowds and loud music...If you want to soak up the festivities of Halloween but are not up to shelling out for a costume to get dressed up and want to get spooked out of your skin - then head on over to Golden Village Marina for the Halloween Horrorthon! For $35 per person, you will be entertained to Halloween and Halloween 2 and a free flow of popcorn and drinks! Plus, you’ll get a sneak preview of Saw VI! More details here

Cutting Edge Fox

Take a look at this featurette which contains footages of how the production of Fantastic Mr. Fox came about. Genius stuff!

The Blue Mansion Nominated for Best Asian/ Middle Eastern Film in 22nd Tokyo International Film Festival

Glen Goei's latest movie ‘The Blue Mansion’ had its Japanese premiere at the 22nd Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) last week, where it was nominated for Best Asian/Middle Eastern Film. It is currently in competition with 17 other films from China, Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Iran, and Turkey. It is also the only representative from Singapore this year. The Blue Mansion opens in Singapore on the 22 October 2009 and is reviewed here.

PLANET 51 HITCHES A RIDE ABOARD THE SPACE SHUTTLE

Shaw Organisation is proud to confirm the "Solar System Premier" of the animated comedy, PLANET 51 which will be released on 10 December 2009 is currently orbiting the planet on the International Space Station! The film was launched into space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on August 28, 2009 and was transferred to the space station by the astronauts a few days later. The film is now cruising high above Earth at 17,500 miles per hour and orbiting the planet every 90 minutes, which is the exact running time of the movie, so it will make a full Earth orbit as the movie premieres on the ground.

TIFF 2009 Reviews & Press Con

Our resident reviewer, Stefan Shih went on a self-funded trip to TIFF 2009 to cover the prestigious ongoing film fest. Beside getting up-close and rubbing shoulders with international stars, he gets to review the latest arthouse and commercial titles such as "Snowfall in Taipei", "Tochka", "If Blessed", our very own "The Blue Mansion" among many others. Check out his personal movie blog: anutshellreview for the latest updates! Mr Shih reporting live from Tokyo.

Legendary heroine Mulan Returns

The legendary heroine, MULAN returns to the big screen on 3 December in Jingle Ma's latest adaptation. Vicki Zhao plays the lead with mainland actors Chen Kun, Hu Jun, Jaycee Chan, Taiwanese singer Nicky Lee and yes you heard it right, a Russian opera singer Vitas rounding up the cast. Watch this space for more details coming your way. No Mushu is sighted by the way.

Wind & Cloud Storming In 10th December 2009!

THE STORM WARRIORS will be opening across Asia on 10th December, one week earlier than the previously announced date!
Lead actors Aaron Kwok, Ekin Cheng and Directors The Pang Brothers will be in Singapore on 30th November, as the first stop in the promotional tour across several Asian territories! There will be a red carpet world premiere and also an appearance for a Meet-the-Fans session at Plaza Singapura’s Main Atrium. Click here to see the final movie poster and the 2-minute final movie trailer right here on moviexclusive.com.

Dennis Chew is Auntie Lucy

The video release of the much anticipated Telemovie Auntie Lucy is brought forward to 17th October 2009. Scorpio East Pictures is also bringing Auntie Lucy to more people by organizing free community screenings at various locations around Singapore starting October 17. These locations include Community Centres, Community Libraries, Shopping Malls and East Coast Park. The DVD is now released in Mandarin Dialogue, with English and Chinese subtitles.

"My Girlfriend Is An Agent" STAR TOUR

South Korea's hottest on-screen couple, Kang Ji Hwan and Kim Ha Neul will be coming to Singapore to promote their movie MY GIRLFRIEND IS AN AGENT in a regional tour. This is the first time ever that 2 A-list cast members of a hit Korean movie are coming to Singapore to promote their film! Both stars will arrive in Singapore on 28th October 2009 to grace the Singapore gala premiere held in the evening at The Cathay Cineplex. MY GIRLFRIEND IS AN AGENT opens in Singapore cinemas on 5th November 2009.

First Look At Kelvin Tong's KIDNAPPER

Singapore director Kelvin Tong's latest suspense thriller, KIDNAPPER will hit local cinemas in the first quarter of 2010! The movie stars MediaCorp artiste Christopher Lee, Malaysian radio presenter Jack Lim and Hype artiste Phyllis Quek. KIDNAPPER tells the thought-provoking and moving story about an ordinary taxi-driver's love and determination to rescue his kidnapped son. So what's your first reaction to the teaser poster?

A Sneak Peek at Rain's NINJA ASSASSIN

James McTeigue’s blood-drenched “Ninja Assassin” is only due out a month and a half later but we’ve had the privilege of seeing it first. And we’re so excited about how bloody good it is that we’ve had to rave to you with this capsule review.


From the get-go, one is plunged straight into the shadowy world of the ninja assassins, also known as the Ozunu Clan. Their mark receives a paper envelope with a bright red seal in the middle, within which contains black sand. Moving in the shadows, the ninjas quickly descend upon their targets with lightning precision and proceed to deal with them in the most mercilessly efficient manner. Body parts will fly, blood will splatter and within the first five minutes, you’ll find your pulse quickening in excitement.

After this tantalising appetizer, you’ll have to bear with some bits of exposition in the first half hour or so. McTeigue sets up a fair bit of backstory into Raizo, one of the best and deadliest assassins from the Ozunu clan who goes rogue on his first mission. Unlike the rest of his counterparts, Raizo has never been fully been able to purge the humanity from his soul and he remains haunted by the Clan’s brutal and heartless methods.

Fans of Korean star Rain will have much to cheer, swoon and ogle at though. The superstar is trim, toned and very very fit as Raizo, putting to great use the months of training he went through to prepare for this role. And yes, if you have to know, he does appear topless to show off those well-toned abs.

But just when you start fidgeting and wonder where all the action that’s got you pumped has gone, McTeigue turns up the heat without so much as a letup all the way to its breathtaking climax. Yes, that’s more than an hour of pure, unadulterated thrills as Raizo goes up against a whole army of ninjas before taking on his own master, Lord Ozunu (played by the easily recognisable Sho Kosugi- probably the best known Japanese actor during the ninja craze in the 1980s).

Kudos to the brilliant stunt team behind many of the intense fight scenes in “Ninja Assassin”- thanks to some brilliant choreography, each of the action scenes are as exhilarating as the next. Credit must also go to “V For Vendetta” director McTeigue- he knows he’s making a glorified B-grade action movie but McTeigue has gone all out to make this a no-holds-barred action-packed experience you won’t soon forget.

And if “Ninja Assassin’s” story doesn’t seem particularly interesting, it’s really no matter. This is one movie that promises a bloody exciting good time and by that account alone, you should be counting down the days to when “Ninja Assassin” opens in cinemas Nov 26th. - By GC

ZHOU XUN & LI BING BING NOMINATED FOR BEST LEADING ACTRESS AT THE 2009 GOLDEN HORSE FILM AWARDS!

THE MESSAGE which tells the story of a group of unsuspecting key officials that had a hand in the circulation of a staged encoded message receives a total of 6 nominations at the 2009 Golden Horse Film Awards including Best Leading Actress for both Zhou Xun and Li Bing Bing, Best Screenplay Adaption, Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction and Best Makeup & Costume Design. THE MESSAGE rated NC-16 has collected $37 000 at the local box office as of 7th October. It is now showing exclusively at GV VivoCity, GV Plaza and GV Tampines.

Read All About It!

Check out Today's Straits Times newspaper section for cinema advertisements and you will find Moviexclusive being mention 4 times. A record high for Moviexclusive website history.

There's the blurbs for Accident (4 Stars), Invitation Only ( One Liner ), April Bride (One Liner) and City of Life and Death (5 Stars). It's an awesome day for MX. Cheerio

Haeundae – Singapore Red Cross Charity Screening on Deepavali

In response to The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) public appeal to raise funds for the survivors of the recent Philippines floods, InnoForm Media and Cathay-Keris Films will be holding a Charity Screening of Haeundae. 100% of the nett box office proceeds of the screening will be provided to SRC for the relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts for survivors of the Philippines Tropical Storm. The Charity Screening is on 17 October 2009 (Saturday), 7.15pm at The Cathay Cineplex, The Grand Cathay. Cost per ticket: SGD $15 (inclusive of GST). For latest updates on the rescue mission and alternative donation methods, please visit http://www.redcross.org.sg/. Tickets to the screening are available via phone booking: 6235 1155, online booking- www.cathay.com.sg and at Cathay Cineplexes islandwide.

SINGAPORE HOSTS WORLD PREMIERE OF TREASURE HUNTER

Singapore will be the first stop in the 11-day promotional tour for the upcoming Chinese blockbuster, THE TREASURE HUNTER on 20th December 2009, Asian superstar Jay Chou and Taiwan supermodel Lin Chiling will be in town to promote the movie! After Singapore, Jay Chou and Lin Chi-ling will continue on their publicity tour to Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, China and Taiwan. There will also be a THE TREASURE HUNTER Photo Exhibition on display at the main entrance of Plaza Singapura exclusively from 1st to 31st October, featuring twenty beautifully shot photographs taken whilst filming the movie.

We Recommend: Inglorious Basterds' OST

If you have been a collector of the soundtracks which contain music handpicked by the auteur himself i.e. Quentin Taratino, you wouldn’t miss this one out. The distinctive choice of music from Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill and Death Proof has delighted listeners everywhere and with these 14 tracks from the brilliant war movie, the genius director has left us clapping our hands in glee again... Click here to continue with our review

Up Coming to Blu-ray, DVD and VCD on November 10, 2009

Up will be available in a three-disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Two Blu-rays + one DVD), standard DVD, VCD on November 10, 2009. And only on Blu-ray Hi-Def, additional hours of additional features and behind-the scenes bonus features. The Up Combo Pack is priced at S$59.90 RRP (Recommended Retail Price). Standard DVD version is priced at S$26.90, VCD at S$16.90. Up is the tenth in an unprecedented streak of critical and box office triumphs for Disney•Pixar that includes four Academy Award® winners for Best Animated Feature— WALL•E (2008), Ratatouille (2007), The Incredibles (2004) and Finding Nemo (2003)— as well as Cars, Monsters, Inc., Toy Story 2, A Bug’s Life and Toy Story. Up joined each of its predecessors in ranking #1 at the box office on its opening weekend (US Domestic Box Office).

Animation Nation 2009 (14 - 21 Oct)

I've always highly anticipated 2 film festivals annually from the Singapore Film Society, and I'm sure the sell out crowds would attest to the quality programming in both the Japanese Film Festival which just concluded, and the upcoming Animation Nation, a festival which features some of the best animated works from the hottest animation directors and studios of the industry.

It's no different this year, with screenings of features, shorts (including local works) and seminars that will keep you busy throughout the festival week, and this time round the selection promises to appeal to all ages. The opening film is The Secret of Kells which

features beautiful Celtic inspired designs and an inspiring story that blends magic, history and adventure

Then there's Mary and Max which was the opening film for Sundance 2009, and won the Crystal Bear at the 2009 Berlinale, and Waltz with Bashir which won a Golden Globe, and the first animated film to be nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 2009 Academy Awards.

The festival website is now live! So do check it out for details on the lineup, programming schedule and ticketing details. Remember to get your tickets early!

If Torture Porn Is Your Cup of Tea....Invitation Only

If torture porn is your cup of tea, then savour the passion, lust and thrills this weekend...